The desktop wars

[Steven Pasternak]

Joe Klemmer wrote:
> On Sun, 2006-06-18 at 16:25 -0400, Sean wrote:
>
>   
>>  Linux is doing quite well and there is real reason to hope that the
>>  situation will get better on the hardware front as hardware becomes
>>  more and more standard.  If Linux managed to have 100% hardware
>>  coverage there is little reason to believe everyone would switch away
>>  from Windows on the desktop; there is just too much inertia.   OS/2,
>>  MAC and others all failed to win the desktop as well; the desktop wars
>>  are already over.
>>     
>
> 	Au contraire, mon ami.  The desktop wars are just revving up.  Mac
> didn't get market share because they stuck to a HW/SW solution that
> costs 1/3 to 1/2 again as much as the Wintel options.  OS/2 lost because
> MS told all the OEM's and system vendors that they would start charging
> them for the preinstalled WinXX licenses on any system that duel booted
> OS/2 or that only had OS/2.  Plus IBM did one of the absolute worst
> marketing moves in the history of the Industry (remember those acid-trip
> "OS/2 Warp" commercials?)
>
>   
>>  The _real_ value of Linux and other open source projects is the
>>  freedoms given to developers and end users.  Undermining or giving up
>>  that aspect of Linux just to get a bit more hardware support would be
>>  a real shame.
>>     
>
> 	Linux is going to move in on the desktop just like it did in the data
> centers and server rooms.  It'll be a bit more work to do it but it's
> inevitable.
>
>   
We need advertising!!! Most people I've spoken to have never heard of 
linux (or suse or fedora or debian etc.). If granny knew that linux 
could bring life back into her WinME system, she would know to buy 
redhat or suse or anything not windows and $400!